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So where do we stand on the Championship playoff

TheHuskeRed

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Dec 9, 2006
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The debate rages on I’m told over leaving it at 4 teams, but 6, 8 and i believe even 12 are being discussed. I think it will ultimately go larger than 4, and think it will settle in at 8. First round pits 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7 and so on hosted at the top 4 rated schools home field. The power 5 champs get the auto bid and then 3 other most deserving teams. After the first round you are back into the bowls to determine the champ. You get to take away the conference championship game to keep the final teams playing 15 total games. You could go 12 teams and add another week, but that’s really asking a lot of the players and the fan base to potentially travel to 4 different venues … unlikely but could happen. Thoughts on this probably over discussed topic?
 
I think we should have a 13 team playoff so we could have one of those ‘play-in’ games to get to 12.

The SEC champion would get the #1 seed since they paid the most for their team. This would give them immunity in the second and third rounds.

The second round would consist of a vote to cast off one of the remaining teams.

The school that has the lowest coronavirus vaccination rate would then get eliminated in the third round.

The remaining 10 teams would be seeded by average star ranking of their last four recruiting classes as determined by Rivals.

They would be paired up in a series of 5 head-to-head spelling bees to ensure that the scholastic side of things are being adequately taken care of.

The last 5 teams are then randomly assigned a starting place in the Bowl Championship Gauntlet Series. Teams A and B play in the Sugar Bowl. The winner of the Sugar Bowl plays Team C in the Fiesta Bowl. The winner of the Fiesta Bowl plays Team D in the Orange Bowl. And the winner of the Orange Bowl plays Team E in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. These games will be played on 4 consecutive days in order to minimize disruption to the academic pursuit of all the student-athletes involved.
 
Not sure what I want, but may not be excited for #1 vs #8 and #2 vs #7 when most of these outcomes would be “predetermined” and if there’s an unlikely upset, it suddenly gives the clear advantage in the next round to the next highest rated team.
But 8 team playoff is still not a bad option.
Or go Top 6 guaranteed and 7-10 play an extra game for the final 2 spots in 8 team playoff.

Or keep it small with Top 3 guaranteed and let 4 and 5 play to get in.

The extra game may be a point of contention with risk of injury and wear/tear stuff.
 
The fact is it could have been a 64 team playoff and we would still have been on the outside looking in. Does it even matter where we stand?
 
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I think we should have a 13 team playoff so we could have one of those ‘play-in’ games to get to 12.

The SEC champion would get the #1 seed since they paid the most for their team. This would give them immunity in the second and third rounds.

The second round would consist of a vote to cast off one of the remaining teams.

The school that has the lowest coronavirus vaccination rate would then get eliminated in the third round.

The remaining 10 teams would be seeded by average star ranking of their last four recruiting classes as determined by Rivals.

They would be paired up in a series of 5 head-to-head spelling bees to ensure that the scholastic side of things are being adequately taken care of.

The last 5 teams are then randomly assigned a starting place in the Bowl Championship Gauntlet Series. Teams A and B play in the Sugar Bowl. The winner of the Sugar Bowl plays Team C in the Fiesta Bowl. The winner of the Fiesta Bowl plays Team D in the Orange Bowl. And the winner of the Orange Bowl plays Team E in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. These games will be played on 4 consecutive days in order to minimize disruption to the academic pursuit of all the student-athletes involved.
🙄
 
Not sure what I want, but may not be excited for #1 vs #8 and #2 vs #7 when most of these outcomes would be “predetermined” and if there’s an unlikely upset, it suddenly gives the clear advantage in the next round to the next highest rated team.
But 8 team playoff is still not a bad option.
Or go Top 6 guaranteed and 7-10 play an extra game for the final 2 spots in 8 team playoff.

Or keep it small with Top 3 guaranteed and let 4 and 5 play to get in.

The extra game may be a point of contention with risk of injury and wear/tear stuff.
That's precisely why it works right now. The more teams you add, the more predetermined games you have. There have and will continue to be that small top tier if schools at the top but go ahead and water it down, there will be an occasional upset but by and large the results will be the same.
 
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That's precisely why it works right now. The more teams you add, the more predetermined games you have. There have and will continue to be that small top tier if schools at the top but go ahead and water it down, there will be an occasional upset but by and large the results will be the same.
While the results would be the same, the product and packaging would be exponentially better than just having those teams play in an also meaningless bowl to considerably less national fanfare.

College football is already the most predetermined sport. Why not at least couch some big games in an ‘anything can happen even though it probably won’t’ playoff?

The more the merrier, IMO. Anyone who doesn’t want it to mirror the NFL is too nostalgic. The NFL is, by a trillion miles, the best sports product on the planet.
 
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8 is my preferred number but I hear 12 getting thrown around a lot more lately. Mostly because 12 is the number that best guards against the non P5 cinderella getting screwed out of a spot.

With 8 you can already hear them putting in the 5 conference champions from the P5 and then going on about how any 3 teams from the SEC would be a better playoff add than an undefeated or 1-loss G5 team.

If they do 12 they need to shorten the regular season and unify the number of conference games played.
 
8 is my preferred number but I hear 12 getting thrown around a lot more lately. Mostly because 12 is the number that best guards against the non P5 cinderella getting screwed out of a spot.

With 8 you can already hear them putting in the 5 conference champions from the P5 and then going on about how any 3 teams from the SEC would be a better playoff add than an undefeated or 1-loss G5 team.

If they do 12 they need to shorten the regular season and unify the number of conference games played.

Definitely need to unify every P5 conference plays 9 conference games and the winner of the conference CG qualify for the playoffs..
 
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While the results would be the same, the product and packaging would be exponentially better than just having those teams play in an also meaningless bowl to considerably less national fanfare.

College football is already the most predetermined sport. Why not at least couch some big games in an ‘anything can happen even though it probably won’t’ playoff?

The more the merrier, IMO. Anyone who doesn’t want it to mirror the NFL is too nostalgic. The NFL is, by a trillion miles, the best sports product on the planet.
I thought the premier tournament was NCAA basketball? I continue to lose interest in the NFL but that's just me.

You confused me with the comment about meaningless bowl games. Expanding the number of teams will only increase that.

To me, if the outcome is always going to be confined to the top 4-5 teams, until they come down and others get a foothold, watering it down only hurts the game. In your words, the "product" would be worse, just more of it. If that is what people want, them go for it but I don't think for a second that teams in that second tier will suddenly emerge.

The reason it is "predetermined" (your term, not mine) is because you have a handful of elite college coaches and programs and that is controlled by regents, business people running pro teams. If you want to make it more wide open which, to me, that is what you and other are after, then figure out a way to level the playing field.

The Boston Red Sox have continually gone over the luxury tax but won the series along the way but lost draft picks. I not advocating this but the rich will always be rich, the poor will always be poor and great coaches will always be great coaches.
 
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I thought the premier tournament was NCAA basketball. I continue to lose interest in the NFL but that's just me.

You confused me with th comment about meaningless bowl games. Expanding the number of teams will only increase that.

To me, if the outcome is always going to be confirmed to the top 4-5 teams, until they come down and others get a foothold, watering it down only hurts the game. In your words, the "product" would be worse, just more of it. I'd that is what people want, them go for it but I don't think for a second that teams in that second tier will suddenly emerge.

The reason it is "predetermined" (your term, not mine) is because you have a handful of elite college coaches and programs and that is controlled by regents, business people running pro teams. If you want to make it more wide open which, to me, that is what you and other are after, then figure out a way to level the playing field.

The Boston Red Sox have continually gone over the luxury tax but won the series along the way but lost draft picks. I not advocating this but the rich will always be rich, the poor will always be poor and great coaches will always be great coaches.
those games will still be just as meaningless as bowl games are today, but will instead be called "playoff games" and portend a fantasy (and, sometimes, reality) of something more, which will draw significantly more eyeballs than, say, the Gator/Alamo/Cotton bowls do today.

we frankly have never had even 4 worthy playoff teams, so any talk of expansion has little to do with actual game quality and everything to do with growing the 'elite tier', if only by forced inclusion and not actual achievement.
 
They will start with 8, like they did with the BCS (2) and then determine that it was leaving out teams that might be able to win and moved it to 4. At 8 they will determine that once again some quality teams are missing and need the extra space for the mid majors, and out of fairness to them, move it 12. Not sure 16 will ever be put in, too large of a number and a washed down product.
 
those games will still be just as meaningless as bowl games are today, but will instead be called "playoff games" and portend a fantasy (and, sometimes, reality) of something more, which will draw significantly more eyeballs than, say, the Gator/Alamo/Cotton bowls do today.

we frankly have never had even 4 worthy playoff teams, so any talk of expansion has little to do with actual game quality and everything to do with growing the 'elite tier', if only by forced inclusion and not actual achievement.
I see your point - its not really a substantive move, simply adds bragging rights and eyeballs on the screens hoping some miracle occurs and their team somehow pulls the upset of the century - several times.

The problem still exists though with the few at the top that the rest keep chasing to no avail. I wonder if people will lose interest knowing it is watered down? Because any expansion, really does just that in the current context we are in.
 
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They will start with 8, like they did with the BCS (2) and then determine that it was leaving out teams that might be able to win and moved it to 4. At 8 they will determine that once again some quality teams are missing and need the extra space for the mid majors, and out of fairness to them, move it 12. Not sure 16 will ever be put in, too large of a number and a washed down product.
I am pretty sure the 12 team playoff is the only one being discussed at this point. You don't have enough support from enough conferences for 8, and I haven't seen 16 discussed at all. It will be status quo or 12 teams.
 
It will be 12 because that's what the SEC wants. Six would not add SEC teams, nor would 8 guarantee it.
North Carolina players took a vote on the # of teams they prefer and according to Mac Brown it was 8. My understanding is the players throughout college football are voicing opinions about the number of games a twelve team playoff would involve and teams getting by's. Shorten the non con season by one game and play on.
 
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The question is, in the long term, will the expanded playoff aid in increasing parity in the sport?

Things will never be fair or equal, but the top talent needs to be spread out for the long term health of the sport

Just my 2 cents
 
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North Carolina players took a vote on the # of teams they prefer and according to Mac Brown it was 8. My understanding is the players throughout college football are voicing opinions about the number of games a twelve team playoff would involve and teams getting by's. Shorten the non con season by one game and play on.
I can see the conflict coming in all of this pretty soon. You start by asking every team to eliminate one non-con game. So what happens to all that lost revenue? If you only have 12 teams playing, a lot of teams will be sitting on their butts. AD's and local businesses won't like that. What about those teams that traditionally play Nebraska for the payday every year? Those games will be gone or at least some non-con will be eliminated so players will have less game to gather attention and stats.

I still do not see how everyone thinks this is going to magically spread the blue chippers out and increase the parity. Just put yourself in the place of a parent or blue chip player being recruited by Bama, Clemson, tOSU, Nebraska, North Carolina, USC as examples. You are eyeing the NFL (they all are, don't kid yourself) are you going to take the chance and go to the lower tier schools? They aren't going to the questionable schools just to get MAYBE a first round game, they want championships.
 
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